The University of Nottingham has been awarded a prestigious British Business Award at a ceremony which took place in Shanghai yesterday evening.

The University of Nottingham’s campus in Ningbo China (UNNC) was established in 2004 as the first Sino foreign higher education joint venture in China. Partnering with the Ningbo based Wanli Education Group (WEG), the initial enrolment was just 245 students. Today the Ningbo campus is home to over 6000 students.

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In addition, UNNC has built exceptional commercial links with Chinese businesses which work with the University to undertake research projects or for professional development training programmes.

Working with the biggest businessesMany of the biggest businesses in China work with the University of Nottingham, including AVIC in aerospace, CRRC in rail, FAW and Changan in automotive and the China Resource Group in pharmaceuticals.

The University of Nottingham is also supporting local and national businesses in the UK to engage with China, through its Asia Business Centre. Through the Centre, the University helps to organise trade missions to and from China, including the regular ‘On Location’ visits, which enable companies from across the East Midlands to meet with business people and officials from China.

Outstanding businessesThe British Business Awards, which are organised by the British Chamber of Commerce Shanghai, showcase outstanding UK companies which work in China. The Awards recognise and promote excellence in innovation and enterprise in the British and Chinese business communities.

The University won the Education Institutional Partnership of the Year Award, in recognition of its work in China and the strength of the partnership it has developed with Wanli Education Group (WEG). In addition to the award was also a finalist in the Company of the Year Award, alongside global businesses such as Jaguar Land Rover and the InterContinental Hotels Group.

Speaking about the award, Chris Rudd, Provost of the University of Nottingham, Ningbo China, said: “Winning the Educational Partnership award is recognition for all of the hard work that our staff both in Ningbo and in Nottingham have done over the last 12 years to help build unrivalled relationships with Chinese businesses, universities and government.

A great reputation“In a relatively short space of time, the University of Nottingham Ningbo China has established a great reputation in China and also internationally. Winning this award, and being shortlisted for company of the year demonstrates the tremendous impact that the University of Nottingham has made in China and the contribution that we have made to enhance UK-China relations.”

For more details about the University of Nottingham Ningbo China and the services it provides to businesses wanting to do business in China, email Jason Feehily, Director of Knowledge Exchange Asia on jason.feehily@nottingham.ac.uk

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Our academics can now be interviewed for broadcast via our Media Hub, which offers a Globelynx fixed camera and ISDN line facilities at University Park campus. For further information please contact a member of the Communications team on +44 (0)115 951 5798, email mediahub@nottingham.ac.uk or see the Globelynx website for how to register for this service.

Notes to editors: The University of Nottingham has 43,000 students and is ‘the nearest Britain has to a truly global university, with a “distinct” approach to internationalisation, which rests on those full-scale campuses in China and Malaysia, as well as a large presence in its home city.’ (Times Good University Guide 2016). It is also one of the most popular universities in the UK among graduate employers and was named University of the Year for Graduate Employment in the 2017 The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide. It is ranked in the world’s top 75 by the QS World University Rankings 2015/16, and 8th in the UK for research power according to the Research Excellence Framework 2014. It has been voted the world’s greenest campus for four years running, according to Greenmetrics Ranking of World Universities.